The surprising results of a new study

People exposed to organic foods are more likely to exhibit judgmental attitudes, according to a new study from Loyola University. Researchers split 60 people into three groups and showed them pictures of either organic foods, comfort foods like brownies and cookies, or non-organic, non-comfort foods, such as rice and mustard. Researchers then determined participants’ moral judgment by asking them how many minutes they'd be willing to spend helping a stranger, and how harshly they judged fictional situations. The organic group was shown to judge people much harder, and while the comfort-food group volunteered 24 minutes to help a needy stranger, the organic group offered just 13 minutes. Why? Researchers say “moral licensing” might be at play, meaning that by choosing organic, people may feel like they’ve done a good deed, which gives them permission to act unethically later on.

As though snoring itself wasn't enough, two new studies link sleep apnea—a common disorder that causes snoring, fatigue, and pauses in breathing at night—to cancer. In one of the new studies, researchers in Spain followed thousands of patients at sleep clinics and found that those with the most severe forms of sleep apnea had a 65% greater risk of developing cancer of any kind. The second study, of about 1,500 government workers in Wisconsin, showed that those with the most breathing abnormalities at night had five times the rate of dying from cancer as people without the sleep disorder. Researchers speculate that the cancer risk could be due to the plummeting levels of oxygen in a person’s blood due to apnea.

Time to get cooking. People who cook up to five times a week were 47% more likely to still be alive after 10 years, according to a new study in Public Health Nutrition. Researchers looked at the cooking habits of a group of 1,888 men and women over age 65 who lived in Taiwan, and then followed up with them 10 years later. Not only was frequent cooking associated with survival, but so was grocery shopping, taking public transportation, and not smoking.

Only one in 10 adults brushes properly, finds a new study of more than 2,000 Swedes. Many adults failed to brush twice a day, while others rinsed out their mouths afterward and diluted the protective effect of the fluoride toothpaste. Plus, most people said they brush because of social norms, rather than to prevent tooth decay. Here’s a refresher on what we should be doing: Use a toothbrush with a small head, and brush in a circular action rather than up and down or side to side. Brush at least twice a day for two minutes each time, and use flouride toothpaste.

Anyone born from 1945 to 1965 should get a one-time blood test to see if they have the liver-destroying virus, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on Friday. Baby boomers account for more than 2 million of the 3.2 million Americans infected with the blood-borne virus, and many people don't know they're infected. The hepatitis C virus is most commonly spread today through sharing needles to inject drugs, but before the widespread screening of blood donations in 1992, it was also spread through blood transfusions. It's also possible some people were infected by getting tattoos or piercings, shared razor blades and toothbrushes, manicures, and sniffed cocaine.

Money can’t buy happiness—or can it? Carl Richards, a certified financial planner and author of The Behavior Gap, begs to differ, posing the question: "If your income doubled tomorrow, do you think you would be happier?" Anyone who says no probably just isn't buying the right things, he says. Buying a new couch, for example, won’t lead to happiness, but buying a vacation can. Other ways to get the most happiness bang for your buck: Spending more time with family, which means having the freedom to afford a flexible job; spending time outside exercising, which requires buying the right gear; and establishing an emergency fund to feel secure. Check out his other ways to buy yourself a little happiness.